Brewed & Bottled Craft Beer Shop, Lewiston’s one and only beer store and one of Western New York’s premier craft beer shops, will close their doors on March 24. Owner Chris Budde announced in a Facebook post that they have lost their lease and are being forced to vacate their current location at 402 Center Street. Brewed & Bottled have been in business since August 5, 2016.

“To our customers and friends, it is with disappointed, heavy hearts that we announce that Brewed And Bottled Craft Beer Shop will be vacating our location at 402 Center Street in Lewiston,” Budde’s announcement read. “We have lost our lease. While our plans have always been to remain in the plaza, unfortunately, we are at the mercy of circumstances out of our control. Our last day of business at our current location will be March 24. Please come hang out with us and help us give our first home a proper sendoff!”

Budde continues that he and his wife, fellow owner and operator Jessica Budde, are not closing their doors for good and are currently looking for a new location in Lewiston to reopen their shop.

“We absolutely love Lewiston and have no intentions of abandoning our community. We’re currently exploring other opportunities in the area and hope to be back in action as soon as possible.”

The response to Brewed & Bottled’s closing has, aside from mostly sad and sorrowful, been overwhelmingly positive and full of support from the community at large. Budde adds that it’s been difficult to process all of the support they have received in these trying times.

‘I confidently feel you’ll come back bigger and better. Keep the vision strong!’ one commenter on Facebook said. ‘Thanks for the amazing service and kindnesses you’ve shown us. Just know that wherever you go we will follow!’ said another, while others said ‘thank you for all your service…this is just a speed bump to a great future’ and ‘I’m sure this will just be a bump in the road, and will not stop you from finding something bigger & better in the near future.’

“There aren’t enough words to express how grateful we are for all the support from our customers over the last two and a half years, and it is with absolute fire and enthusiasm that we look forward to the next chapter in store for our beer family,” Budde concludes. “Stay tuned for further updates.”

You can find the latest news and updates, as well as B&B’s hours of operation, at https://www.facebook.com/BrewedBottled. We will also have updates across all Buffalo Beer League social media platforms.

Brian Campbell is a co-founder/Brand Manager of the BNBA’s enthusiast arm, Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at buffalobeerleague@aol.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague) and www.buffalobeerleague.com.